The Emory Partners with Tato Giovannoni to Create New Cocktail Menu: An External Creative Partnership Model for Hotel Bars

The Emory Rooftop Bar in London has taken its collaboration with Argentine bartender Renato “Tato” Giovannoni to a new level. The new menu, titled “The View”, features 12 signature cocktails and, according to the hotel’s official description, combines Argentine terroir with the rooftop experience in London.

This is not the first theme between the two parties. Giovannoni previously held a temporary rooftop residency at The Emory in 2024; the collaboration continued in the following period and evolved into a more permanent creative partnership in the 2026 menu.

What is particularly noteworthy from a StaffMag perspective is not just that a famous bartender is preparing a menu for a hotel bar. The Emory example presents a sustainable operational model for menu development where an external creative name collaborates with the internal bar team.

The Menu Consists of 12 Drinks

The official menu at The Emory includes 12 cocktails. The cocktails reference classic formats but are differentiated in content and presentation.

For example:

The Alignment reinterprets the French 75 format with Renais Gin, passion berries, Champagne, and guava-mango-passion fruit cordial.

The Distortion uses Patrón Silver Tequila, spicy tuna fruit, chili, and timur pepper on the Spicy Margarita axis.

The Clarity brings the Vesper reference to an Argentine influence with Apostoles Mate Gin, X Muse Vodka, Cocchi Americano, sake, chimichurri, and criolla oil.

The Focus combines The Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old, coffee spirit, pear, mate cocido, milk, and Malbec in a Milk Punch format.

Prices for alcoholic cocktails are predominantly in the £25–27 range. Some drinks also have non-alcoholic versions available.

This pricing aligns with The Emory’s luxury hotel and rooftop positioning. The venue also does not accept reservations and has a minimum spend of £50 per person.

External Creative Names Do Not Replace Internal Teams

The most critical risk in such collaborations is that the menu becomes “name-focused” and the hotel’s own team is relegated to a mere executing role.

The model at The Emory is different.

According to The Pinnacle Guide’s 2026 assessment, each new menu goes through a development process conducted jointly by Giovannoni and the bar team. Each team member brings three concepts; ideas are developed separately, refined during tastings, and Giovannoni makes the final editorial/managerial touch.

This process is important because the biggest question for hotels working with external consultants is:

Is the menu owned by the consultant, or does it become part of the business’s corporate knowledge?

If the recipe and ideas rely solely on the external star name, the quality and creativity of the product may be lost when the consultant leaves.

The Emory’s team involvement mitigates this risk.

There is a Strong Prep Operation Behind the Scenes

The complexity of the menu is not apparent when looking at the front bar.

According to The Pinnacle Guide’s field assessment, The Emory’s back-of-house bar preparation area is equipped with rotovap, centrifuge, Thermomix, ultrasonic cleaner, nitro and CO2 systems, and sous-vide equipment. Additionally, a special prep shift is allocated weekly, and this task is rotated among the team.

This detail reveals the true cost of creative cocktail menus.

When a cocktail uses homemade cordial, fermented components, oils, distillates, or special filtration, the cost is not just derived from the products within the drink.

Prep time, equipment depreciation, waste, staff training, and production standardization also come into play.

Therefore, developing a “creative menu” in luxury hotel bars is not the same as developing an “operationally sustainable menu.”

Training Program is Part of the Menu

The training aspect in The Emory’s bar model also appears systematic.

According to The Pinnacle Guide, all team members are offered training opportunities up to WSET Level 3. Floor staff are also included in cross-training in the lab/prep area; thus, the service team learns not only the name of the drink but also how it is produced. A brief team training is conducted on a classic cocktail before each service.

This structure is particularly meaningful for hotel bars.

If only the bartender knows the complex recipe, the waiter or floor staff cannot answer the guest’s question. Thus, the creative investment of the bar is lost at the service point.

Therefore, the success of the beverage program is a function of not only the bar team but also the product knowledge of all F&B staff who interact with guests.

Why is Menu Language Important?

“The View” is not just a recipe list; it also carries a distinct visual identity.

In the official PDF menu, each cocktail is linked to a classic family: Spritz, Aviation, French 75, Paloma, Ramos Fizz, Sour, Spicy Margarita, Vesper, Americano, Milk Punch, Alexander, and Old Fashioned. Additionally, short taste profiles are used for each drink; for example, “stone fruit / zesty / refreshing” or “tangy / spicy / vibrant.”

This makes complex cocktails more understandable for the customer.

A guest may not know the term “maqui berry wine” or “aloja,” but can decide based on short descriptions like “fruity, refreshing, berry.”

This is an important approach in terms of menu engineering:

The technical recipe is for the kitchen/bar team; the flavor language is for the customer.

Collaboration with a Renowned Bartender is Not Just PR

Working with a famous bartender naturally brings media visibility.

However, lasting benefits do not come from just writing the brand’s name on the menu.

In The Emory’s model, Giovannoni’s name is integrated into the menu development process, team training, and service system. The Pinnacle Guide also considers the joint development of the menu with the bar team and its continuous evolution as one of The Emory’s “cultural practice” elements.

This approach is more sustainable for hotel bars.

Bringing in an external bartender may create short-term traffic. However, if the team does not learn new techniques, recipes are not adapted to the hotel’s prep capacity, and cost control is not implemented, the collaboration remains merely a marketing activity.

Lessons for Luxury Hotels in Turkey

Luxury hotel bars in Turkey are also increasingly utilizing guest bartenders, takeovers, and international consultant collaborations.

The Emory example shows the next stage of this model:

Instead of serving for just a few nights, the external name can be included in the product development system.

This requires three conditions:

The internal team must participate in the process.

The back-of-house preparation capacity must handle the complexity of the menu.

Training for service must also be standardized up to the recipe level.

Otherwise, a cocktail menu that appears very strong can turn into slow service, high waste, and inconsistent product quality during a busy Friday night.

Stafflink’s Perspective

In our view, the real value in The Emory’s model is not the name Tato Giovannoni, but the operational translation of creativity.

An external consultant can bring new ideas. However, if these ideas cannot be learned by the team, standardized, and reproduced at the same quality during busy service, they do not constitute a sustainable bar product.

The area where luxury hotel bars will make a difference in the upcoming period will not only be in preparing more sophisticated cocktails.

The real competition will be in managing high creativity within the same system of speed, training, cost, and service standards.